About the diplomatic market
- Lucrative – Every year London’s diplomatic missions spend £1.148bn* on goods and services in the UK, both as individuals and as part of the mission’s official expenditure. In addition, foreign military units and agencies based in the UK spend a further £1.092bn*, while spending by international organisations and governments reached £924m* which means the broader diplomatic and international community spends at total of £3.164bn* annually.
- Large – London has one of the largest bilateral diplomatic communities in the world, numbering some 22,500** diplomats and their families. They represent more than 160 countries
- Elite – Our subscribers belong to the ABC1 consumer group and are drawn from the political and professional elite in their countries. Around half of the heads of mission in London are hand-picked by their heads of state and are personally wealthy.
- Privileged – Their diplomatic status makes them different to any other market.
Our subscribers frequently enjoy generous living allowances for themselves and their families as well as tax-free privileges. Many have to fulfil representational duties.
- Spending power – Missions control budgets relating to accommodation, hospitality and security of inward delegations to the UK plus and purchases of goods and services for the day-to-day running of the embassy
- Recession-proof – No matter what the economic climate, there is always room in an embassy budget for services and products.
- Ever-changing – Every year, around one-third of the diplomatic corps changes, meaning there is always a new market to promote your goods and services to. But it also means service providers cannot afford to be complacent!
- Targeted – a virtual network of more than 3370 (and growing) individual diplomatic subscribers as well as diplomatic spouses and embassy staff log on to the website and receive a personalised monthly news alerts directly in their inbox. These are also forwarded within embassy intranets.
- Global – diplomats posted in more than 50 countries have requested to remain on our circulation list, making our network global. Our digital format is ideal for diplomats, who receive and distribute information instantaneously, making our readership wider than our official subscriber database. In a few easy clicks, relevant intelligence can be forwarded to diplomatic networks and foreign ministries across the globe – without weighing down the diplomatic bag.
ONS Pink book, 2023, ** FCDO, 2024
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